The French Housing Foundation, formerly known as the Abbé Pierre Foundation, has warned that France was “sinking into a housing crisis, with 4 million people who are either homeless or living in extreme conditions”.
In a report published on February 3, the organisation painted a bleak picture of the country where millions of people were struggling to keep a roof over their heads.
According to the report, the number of homeless people has rocketed, reaching 350,000 in 2024. That was up from 143,000 in 2012 and 300,000 in 2020.
Street deaths have also plunged to a grim record, with 735 reported fatalities in 2024, “the highest ever recorded”, the foundation said.
It found the main reasons contributing to the housing crisis were rising rental prices, higher building costs and mortgage rates. That had been exacerbated by a fall in construction that has limited supply and an increase in the purchase of properties as an investment to generate additional income by wealthier citizens.
Among the most affected by the current crisis were students, single parents and low-wage earners.
In its report, the association slammed what it called the “wait and see” approach of the French authorities. According to the foundation, much of France’s housing crisis lay with public authorities.
“We are paying in part for political instability, for political choices. We are building much less housing, so we are short of housing,” said Christophe Robert, managing director of the Housing Foundation.
The report said there had been a significant drop in the available public social rentals for people, from 500,000 social housing units allocated each year between 2015 and 2017, to 393,000 in 2023.
The foundation also revealed that 30 per cent of households reported an inability to heat their homes properly in 2024, compared to 14 per cent in 2020.
In 2024, 75 per cent of households reduced their heating to control their bills, which is 22 per cent more than in 2020.
